BJP leader ‘gangraped’ in Ranchi village

A senior office-bearer of the Jharkhand BJP's minority wing has alleged in an FIR that she was told to stop working with the saffron party by regional political forces before being raped by seven men on Monday.

The woman from Ranchi district filed a police complaint that a mob attacked her in her home and also assaulted her 13-year-old daughter. Her husband was allegedly handcuffed during the assault.

“Political parties are behind the attack on me and my family. They had threatened me earlier to stop my work as a BJP leader against regional parties,” the BJP leader alleged.

Anurag Gupta, a senior officer and spokesman for Jharkhand police, confirmed an investigation into the incident had started. He, however, said it was too soon to confirm her allegations of a political motive for the attack.

Former Jharkhand chief minister and BJP leader Arjun Munda on Monday said the family of the victim, who is in her 30s, had been threatened by some anti-BJP men a few days ago, but claimed most residents in the village were BJP supporters. He met the minority leader and her family after the incident on Monday.

All accused are absconding. According to Munda, they were notorious rowdies. “This incident raises questions about the safety of women in rural Jharkhand,” he said.

The victim was taken to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi for a medical examination. An FIR has been lodged but police are waiting for the medical test results. They have begun a search operation to nab the accused, said superintendent of police (rural) SK Jha.

The woman had recently led a crusade against construction of a nursing college on minority land in the village. She also staged a six-day protest outside Raj Bhawan, demanding allotment of some other land for the nursing home in February.